Metabolic syndrome is characterized by the presence of traditional risk factors for heart disease, such as hypertension, cholesterol disorders, blood coagulation abnormalities and obesity. Although the cause of metabolic syndrome is not specifically known, obesity and insulin resistance are generally present. The presence of insulin resistance is characteristic of both metabolic syndrome and clinical cases of diabetes, and is the primary contributor to the hypertension, lipid problems, and blood sugar abnormalities that define these conditions. Individuals with impaired fasting glucose and/or impaired glucose tolerance may be considered to have pre-diabetes based on the fact that insulin resistance is generally present, and these individuals have an elevated risk of progressing to Type 2 diabetes. Unfortunately, adults with pre-diabetes may remain in sedentary lifestyles without dietary interventions or weight loss that might mitigate risk of disease.
As such, there remains a need for new treatments that can manage blood sugar levels. There also remains a need for new treatments that can nutritionally reverse insulin resistance and pre-diabetes.